Originally Posted by Martin Savage 31- The Chicken Phad Thai from Bangkok, a small food court restaurant in the Faubourg mall in downtown Montreal. It forced some of it’s neighbors out of business, having lineups until closing time on weekly nights when the whole mall is empty. Being own by a lady who was a street food cook in the titular city, it’s the best Thai food I’ve had so far, outclassing upperscale places from Toronto to New York, and it cost 7$. And when you ask for a spicy meal, they make sure you’ll end up in orbit later on.
It’s my experience that upperscale Asian restaurants are rarely the best. I know some places that are borderline filthy, but I can’t get enough of their food. A better way to tell quality would be to observe if there are actually Asians eating there. If not, you might as well go somewhere else.
Originally Posted by englebert A better way to tell quality would be to observe if there are actually Asians eating there. If not, you might as well go somewhere else.
Originally Posted by englebert It’s my experience that upperscale Asian restaurants are rarely the best. I know some places that are borderline filthy, but I can’t get enough of their food. A better way to tell quality would be to observe if there are actually Asians eating there. If not, you might as well go somewhere else.
Unless you’re looking at the Lousiana Fried Chicken and Japanese food place near me. No Asians and no Cajuns, but pretty decent food.
Best Cajun food I ever had was from Hebert’s stand off campus in college. Little family of Cajuns with a little food stand - it was great. And, of course, authentic.
Originally Posted by DaveB 26. I know Boris already mentioned pizza up at #3, but Uno’s Deep Dish? That’s not even the best Chicago style/stuffed crust I’ve had, and I’ve only had a few! Maybe the Chicago Uno locations do it better, but the pizza at the chain locations I’ve been to are only sort of okay. Edwardo’s, the other Chicago-style chain around here, does a way better job, and I’d guess there are Chicago-only places that probably do a better job than either.
Uno’s Restaurants are shit-tastic. I havent eaten at an Uno’s in Chicago either, but the ones down here in the South tend to be completely abandoned and the service is horrible too. Oh, did I mention that their pizza isnt very good either?
I agree with DaveB. Deep dish can be great.. just not at Uno’s.
Hell I have relatives in Chicago who say that Uno’s is shitty.
Regardless, this southern boy prefers NY style pizza.
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson 32. Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream. It shouldn’t work, but dear God, it does, it does.
My wife’s favorite!
Meatballs. Swedish, Italian, covered in barbecue sauce or grape jelly or beef gravy or mushroom soup, hot, cold, by themselves or on a roll, this humble nugget of ground meat is hearty and homey and wonderfully delicious.
The Uno’s chain is just awful. The two restaurants downtown are nothing remotely like the chains and they have great pizza. In fact, I believe they were the first to create the deep-dish style that Chicago is now known for.
Oddly enough, the two most well-known establishments outside of Chicago for deep-dish are probably the two worst (Uno’s chain and Gino’s East). Giordano’s chain restaurants are still great (not as good as the Rush street location, but still better than most) and Lou Malnati’s are always delicious.
There’s room in this world for NY style, Chicago style, California style and Neopolatain style. Done right, they’re all fantastic.
Originally Posted by Guttenberg Fan Club The Uno’s chain is just awful. The two restaurants downtown are nothing remotely like the chains and they have great pizza. In fact, I believe they were the first to create the deep-dish style that Chicago is now known for.
That is true. What I despised about living in NW DC was that there were ZERO good pizza restaurants. Franchise shit (which I dealt with) and some local garbage (giant slices were disgusting sober - awesome when drunk).
Even as I live in the middle-of-nowhere New Jersey, there are 4 legit pizza places within 10 miles.
Oh #34 New York Style Pizza - I am the personification of gluttony when I’m around good New York Style pizza.
Originally Posted by Jcassady That is true. What I despised about living in NW DC was that there were ZERO good pizza restaurants. Franchise shit (which I dealt with) and some local garbage (giant slices were disgusting sober - awesome when drunk). Even as I live in the middle-of-nowhere New Jersey, there are 4 legit pizza places within 10 miles. Oh #34 New York Style Pizza - I am the personification of gluttony when I’m around good New York Style pizza.
Actually, that was my pick at #26. I just had to get my slight dislike for Uno’s (chain version) out of the way first.
Originally Posted by Jonathan Banks is my hero Not a fan of Chicago style. It’s just too much dough for me. It’s like eating pizza-flavored cake.
You may not be eating the good stuff. It’s a deep dish, but it shouldn’t be a huge crust. That’s where the Uno chain goes wrong in that it has this really thick Pizza-Hut style crust without the cheese, toppings and sauce to even it out. Most of the heft in a good Chicago style comes from the copious amounts of cheese in it. A great crust on Chicago style is a bit thicker than most NYC (not by a lot, though. Neopolitain is the real thin crust), but it’s also buttery and flaky like a heftier croissant. In that way, I think it’s got something above NYC in that the crust isn’t just a vehicle for toppings and texture, but an actual player in the flavor department.
Originally Posted by Jcassady That is true. What I despised about living in NW DC was that there were ZERO good pizza restaurants.
You still ordered a pizza every 27 hours.
(As mediocre as it was, I honestly miss the cheesesteak place).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guttenberg Fan Club You may not be eating the good stuff. It’s a deep dish, but it shouldn’t be a huge crust. That’s where the Uno chain goes wrong in that it has this really thick Pizza-Hut style crust without the cheese, toppings and sauce to even it out. Most of the heft in a good Chicago style comes from the copious amounts of cheese in it. A great crust on Chicago style is a bit thicker than most NYC (not by a lot, though. Neopolitain is the real thin crust), but it’s also buttery and flaky like a heftier croissant. In that way, I think it’s got something above NYC in that the crust isn’t just a vehicle for toppings and texture, but an actual player in the flavor department.
Yeah, I probably haven’t had the good stuff, though I do prefer NY style. There’s a local chain called Armand’s which does Chicago style and is supposed to be the best pizza around, but it’s lifeless. I’m keeping my Chicago style mind open, however, for new taste explorations.
#35 for today: Cheesesteak subs with grilled onions, lettuce and tomato, from Lenny’s subshop in Linwood, NJ. A favorite of mine when we were kids. Additionally, back at that time, all the sub shops in the Atlantic City area bought their bread from this one bakery, Pantella’s, which made the most amazing Italian bread in the world. My brother and I had a conversation several years back about, if we were going to the chair, what would our last meal request be? So he’s rattling off food choices, and I’m rattling off food choices, and in one of those rare moments of sibling telepathy, we both stopped, looked at each other with our eyes bugged out and in unison said, "CHEESESTEAK SUBS FROM LENNY’S!!! Awwww, yeah!!!"
I’ve never been to Chicago, but one of my good friends went to Northwestern and swears by Giordano’s. On his last visit he actually ordered a pepperoni pizza from there right before he got on his flight back to LA and carried the hot pizza in his lap the whole way home. It was fantastic.
We also ordered the Lou Malnati’s sausage pizza to get shipped to us before one of the Bears playoff games last year. It was also very tasty, but I’m sure it’s even better fresh.
I love Chicago-style pizza, and ate at Giordano’s when I was last up there in February. They have a place here in Atlanta called “Nancy’s”, and I’ll have to say, it’s pretty damn good for not being in Chicago. I hit that place about once every two months or so, as it’s in Buckhead, so it’s a trek for me to get down there from the 'burbs.
Yes, that’s right, I said Combos. The greatest snack food of all time. No one dislikes pretzels. No one dislikes cheese. Especially the fake, processed super spiced cheese filling. Wrap that cheese up in a tubular, salty pretzel and you have the modern day equivalent of processed food perfection. Mmmmmm Combos…
Originally Posted by Martianman I love Chicago-style pizza, and ate at Giordano’s when I was last up there in February. They have a place here in Atlanta called “Nancy’s”, and I’ll have to say, it’s pretty damn good for not being in Chicago. I hit that place about once every two months or so, as it’s in Buckhead, so it’s a trek for me to get down there from the 'burbs.
Up where I used to live (North ATL, just south of Roswell) there was a place called Chicago’s that had decent pizza, but their real winner was their italian beef sandwich. It’s definitely the best one I’ve had outside of chicago. I’ve always wondered why italian beef sandwiches are just a chicago thing. They should be a part of any pizzeria’s menu in any part of the country. Just glorious stuff.
#37 - Italian Beef sandwich. I prefer mine with moz cheese and hot peppers, but these things are delicious just plain, dipped in the au jus. Bomber-style (with marinara) takes too much flavor away from the beef, IMHO. Though I will say once a year or so I splurge on a combo - an italian beef sandwich with an italian sausage thrown in there as well.
Originally Posted by JudgeSmails#36 - Combos. Yes, that’s right, I said Combos. The greatest snack food of all time. No one dislikes pretzels. No one dislikes cheese. Especially the fake, processed super spiced cheese filling. Wrap that cheese up in a tubular, salty pretzel and you have the modern day equivalent of processed food perfection. Mmmmmm Combos…
Perfect road trip snack. Always tasty, always available in gas stations.
BTW, Lisa’s entry should be 34 and this should be 35. Next entry will be 36. (Have to account for Jon not paying attention.)
Just to keep track:
Queso dip
Fried pickles smothered in ranch
UNO’s Chicago style pizza
Poutine
General Tso’s Chicken
One cheeseburger with mayo, mustard, lettuce and tomato; one hot weiner all the way; and fries with ketchup, at two AM, after several beers, from the Olneyville NY System
Bacon
White Castle burgers
Chocolate Chip Cookies
The spicy salmon crunchy rolls and spicy tuna crunchy rolls from J.J.'s Grand Tofu Japanese Restaurant at 3705 31st St. in Astoria, NY. (718) 626-8888
Chicken Tenders
Homemade onion rings-roll sliced onions in Krusteez pancake batter mix
Buffalo wings
Steamed clams in a bucket of vegetable stock along with a cup of drawn garlic butter
4x4 Animal Style from In-N-Out Burger
Fried Chicken
The Casablanca Combination with a cup of lentil soup to start at Casablanca on Brady (Milwaukee, WI)
Chili
Honey Walnut Prawns
Blue Diamond Wasabi and Soy Sauce flavored Almonds
Baby Back Ribs
A good pastrami on rye, stacked high, with mustard.
[Ianthe’s] fettucine with avocado and basil pesto topped with roasted pine-nuts and sun-dried tomatos
Broccoli rabe sauteed in olive oil with garlic, black olives, and capers
Pistachios
NY-style pizza
Warmed pita bread with “Garlicy Hommos” from Holy Land
Chicken stir-fry over rice
Pho
Fajitas. With Garlic Butter. From Pappasito’s.
The Chicken Phad Thai from Bangkok, a small food court restaurant in the Faubourg mall in downtown Montreal
Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream
Meatballs
Cheesesteak subs with grilled onions, lettuce and tomato, from Lenny’s subshop in Linwood, NJ